Preparation of pure titanium dioxide



Patented Apr. 12, 1938 PREPARATION OF TITANIUM DIOXIDE Walter W. Plechner, Metuchen Township, Mid-'- dlesex County, and Arthur W. Hixson, Leonia .Township, Bergen County, N. J., assignors to National Lead Company, New York, N. Y., a

corporation of New Jersey No Drawing. Application November 6, 1936,

Serial No. 109,458

12 Claims.

The present invention relates to titanium dioxide pigments. titanium dioxide pigments wherein the titanium dioxide is of rutile modification.

In our copending application, Serial No. 154,464, filed November 23, 1934. we have disclosed a method for preparing titanium dioxide suitable for use as a pigment and possessing the crystalline structure and form of rutile.

It is believed that the hiding power of a pigment is some function of the refractive index among other properties; the greater the difference between the refractive index of the pigment and that of the vehicle in which it may be suspended the greater will be the hiding power of the pigment. In this way is partially explained the relatively high hiding power of the titanium pigments. Thus the refractive indices of a few of the common white pigments are:

Titanium dioxide (anatase) 2.55 Zinc sulphide i 2.37 Lead basic carbonate 1.99 Zinc oxide 1.90 Blane fixe 1.64 Linseed oil 1.49

' Titanium dioxide which has hitherto been commerciallyprepared has always been precipitated by the hydrolysis of sulphuric acid solutions of titanium, and, as has been shown by Weiser and Milligan: J. Phys. Chem. 38, 513 (1934) such an oxide always exists as the anatase modification which has the refractive index indicated in the above tabulation.

It has been long known that the refractive index of the rutile modification of titanium dioxide is 2.71, and, therefore, if titanium dioxide could be so precipitated as to form rutile on calcination, and, furthermore, if the precipitation conditions, or "hydrolysis conditions as it is frequently called in the art, were such as to form particles which on calcination were suitable for pigment purposes, a new white pigment far superior in hiding power to the pigment grade titanium oxides now commercially available would have been obtained.

It, also, was shown by Weiser and Milligan in the publication cited above that when titanium dioxide is precipitated from a chloride solution the rutile modification is always obtained. Titanium dioxide has not been prepared under such conditions in the past because until the time of our discovery it was not known how to precipitate the oxide from a chloride solution and It has special reference to We have now found thatthe foregoing statements are true, not only with respect to titanium dioxide derived from chloride solutions, but also with respect to titanium dioxide derived from titanium fluoride solutions.

We have discovered thatunder suitable conditions, to be disclosed below, titanium dioxide adapted to pigment uses can be precipitated from a titanium fluoride solution. Furthermore, pigment so obtained shows aremarkably improved tinting strength and hiding power over titanium dioxide pigments hitherto offered in the trade. Thus, if tinting strength is determined by the ten tative method of test of the American Society of Testing Materials, A. S.T.M. Designation: D352 31T, A.S.T.M. Tentative Standards 1933, 525, the highest value shown by old commercial products is about 1100-1200, whereas our pigment gives values of 1400-1500. The hiding power of our form of titanium dioxide is correspondingly greater. We now ascribe this to the fact that our pigment is in the rutile modification since it is precipitated from a fluoride solution, and has, therefore, a higher refractive index than the ordinary titanium dioxide pigment.

It may be stated, therefore, that it is'one of the primary objects of the present invention to provide titanium dioxide which possesses tinting strength and hiding power greatly improved over similar types of pigments hitherto used, and which is readily derived from a titanium fluoride solution.

We have discovered that hydrous titanium oxide may be precipitated from a fluoride solution in a .form which, upon calcination, yields rutile titanium dioxide eminently adaptable for use as a pigment if the precipitation, or hydrolysis, is carried on under such conditions as to give relatively rapid precipitation in the presence of 'coagulants. We have found that, like the chloride ion, the fluoride ion has a peptizing REISSUED JAN 14 1941 precipitation from fluoride solutions. Our preswhich overcome the peptizing action and permits the hydrous titanium oxide tOl develop a particle size requisite for a product designed to be used as a pigment. These coagulants may be broadly defined aspolyvalent, negative ions which will include diand trivalent negative ions of inorganic acids, as well as ionizable organic acids. For example, the citrate, phosphate, oxalate, tartrate, sulfate, arsenate, and when the hydrous titanium oxide is precipitated in the cold, the carbonate ion, and other polyvalent ions behave as coagulants during the hydrolysis and cause the hydrous titanium oxide to be precipitated in a readily fliterable and easily washed state. 'Ihe titanium dioxide obtained from the calcination' of hydrous titanium oxide so precipitated has remarkablyhigh hiding power and. tinting strength and is comparable in all other respects to the titanium pigment of the prior art.

In our aforementioned copending application we have shown a coagulating eii'ect of divalent negative ions upon precipitation of hydrous titanium oxide from chloride solutions. We have now found that trivalent negative ions, such as r the phosphate and citrate ions are also effective as coagulants for hydrous titanium oxide precipitated from chloride solutions.

- Hence, one object of the present invention is a method for preparing pigmentary titanium dioxide of the rutile i'nodiilcation. Another obiect of our invention is an improved method of utilizing fluoride and chloride solutions of titanium in the preparation of titanium pigments.

action on'the hydrous titanium oxide during the plex fluorides of titanium we mean 'to designate those compounds of titanium which are sometimes regarded as the double fluorides of titanium and another element or radical as ed from amino tetrafluorides'. I

The titanium solution may beadded to hot 'water containing the desired amountof coagulant or the coagulant may be'added as an aqueous solution to the titanium solution. The coagulant may be used in the form of the acids of the respective. polyvalent negative radicals or aqueous solutions of salts of these acids such as the alkaline salts. for example; sodium sulfate. ammonium oxalate, lithium carbonate, sodium arsenate, sodium citrate, potassium tartrate, etc. A convenient method of employing the coagulant is to dissolve it in a large volume of water, then cordingly, it will be understood that when usingemployed. However, amounts as low as 0.05

are 'effective. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that these polyvalent' negative ions have a tendency to associate themselves as byadsorption with the particles of hydrous titanium oxide and are not removed by washing. This is particularly true of the. sulfate and phosphate ions. Consequently, it will be understood that the amount of coagulating agent to be em ployed should not be so great as to undesirably contaminate the hydrous titanium oxide.

Thetitanium fluoride or chloride solution may be employed as a relatively concentrated solution containing about 15%, or thereabouts, of

.titanium dioxide, and being substantially free from impurities. It will be understood that such solutions give optimum results but our invention is not to be limited to any particular concentra- ,tion of titanium in thefluoride or chloride solution nor to any condition of purity of the said solution. Our invention is particularly adaptable to the use of solutions of complex or double fluorides of titanium, for example, titanium ammo nium fluoride solutions. Furthermore, the titanium fluoride solution may contain only titaniun tetrafluoride hr it may consist of an amino titanium tetrafluoride. For the sake of convenience. in the claims appended hereto, we have used the expression, a titanium tetrafluoride compound to designate not only titanium tetrafluorides but amino titanium tetrafluorides. It will be understood that by the expression, comto raise the temperature of the solution and to add thereto the titanium chloride or fluoride solution.

- The coagulating agents of the present invention are eifective regardless of how the hydrous titanium oxide is precipitated from the fluoride orchloride solution. For example, the hydrous titanium oxide may be precipitated in the wellknown manner by thermal hydrolysis brought about by raising the temperature of the solution even reduced temperature. an alkaline or neutralizing agent, such as an alkaline hydroxide or carbonate of ammonia. Strictly speaking, all these methods of precipitating hydrous titanium oxide may be regarded as an hydrolysis and acthe term, hydrolytically precipitating in this description and in the claims appended hereto,

we mean to embrace these methods. .In both cases, the presence of a small amount of coagulant permits the precipitation of hydrous titanium oxide in a non=peptized condition-and the desirable characteristics herein set forth.

Having thus described our invention the fol,- lowing examples are given for illustrative purposes from which, however, no limitations are to be construed.

of'two to three grams per liter of titanium dioxide in the titanous state. Having 1000 pounds of this chloride solution containing 15 per cent titanium oxide, this is added to'7000 pounds oi boiling water containing two pounds of citric acid, during about one hour. when the addition has been completed about 95 per cent of the titanium will have been precipitated as hydrous titanium dioxide; the latter is in a coagulated form such that it settles well and may be readily filtered and washed. After flltration'and washing the precipitate is converted to the anhydrous rutileform.by calcining at a temperature of from 700 to 1000 C.

Example No. 2.-Ilmenite is furnaced with ammonium fluoride and the vapors of diaminotetrafluoride TiFs-2NH3, are collected. The tet- 7g rafluoride compound. is dissolved in suflicient water containing sodium sulfate in such amount as to obtain a solution having about ten per cent titanium dioxide and 0.05 per cent sulfate radical. hydrous titanium "dioxide in a fllterable condition. The precipitate is washed and calcined to produce pigmentary titanium dioxide in the rutile modification.

Example No. 3.-Ilmenite is furnaced with excess ammonium fluoride with the resulting formation of a volatile complex titanium tetrafluoride compound, TiF4-mNH3-yNH4F. These vapors may be condensed and collected. However, they preferably are directly contacted with an aqueous solution of ammonia or an ammoniacal solution of ammonium fluoride in any suitable manner,

. for example, in a cooled scrubbing or spray tower from but the appended claims should be interpreted as broadly as possible in view of the prior art.

W e claim:

1. Process for the preparation of pure titanium dioxide having rutile crystalline structure which comprises hydrolytically precipitating non-pep tized, easily filterable, hydrous titanium oxide from an aqueous solution of a titanium compound selected from the group consisting of titanium tetrachloride, a titanium tetrafluoride compound and complex titanium fluorides, containing a small amount of a polyvalent, negative, coagulating ion, separating the said hydrous titanium oxide and calcining it to rutile crystalline structure.

2. Process for the preparation of pure titanium dioxide having rutile crystalline structure which comprises hydrolytically percipitating non-peptized, easily filterable hydrous titanium oxide from an aqueous titanium tetrachloride solution containing a small amount of a trivalent, negative coagulating ion,.separating the said hydrous titanium oxide and calcining it to rutile crystalline structure.

3. Process for the preparation of pure titanium dioxide having rutile crystalline structure which comprises hydrolytically precipitating non-peptized, easily filterable hydrous titanium oxide from an aqueous titanium tetrachloride solution containing a small amount of a coagulant selected from the group consisting of the acids and alkali metal salts of the phosphate and citrate radicals, separating the" said hydrous titanium oxide and calcining it to rutile crystalline structure.

4. Process for the preparation of pure titanium dioxidehaving rutile crystalline structure which comprises hydrolytically precipitating non-peptized, easily filterable hydrous titanium oxide from an aqueous titanium tetrachloride solution containing a small amount of citric acid, separating the said hydrous titanium oxide and calcining it to rutile crystalline structure.

5. Process for the preparation of pure titanium The solution is then boiled to precipitate dioxide having rutile crystalline structure which comprises hydrolytically precipitating non-peptized, I easily filterable hydrous titanium oxide from an aqueous solution of a titanium tetrafluoride compound containing a small amount of a polyvalent, negative, coagulating ion, separating the said hydrous titanium oxide and calcining it to rutile crystalline structure.

6. Process for the preparation of pure titanium dioxide having rutile crystalline structure which comprises hydrolytically precipitating non-peptized, easily filterable hydrous titanium oxide from an aqueous solution of a titanium tetrafiuoride compound containing a small amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of the acids and alkali metal salts of the phosphate, citrate, oxalate, tartrate, sulfate, ar-

seriate and carbonate radicals, separating the said hydrous titanium oxide and calcining it to rutile crystalline {structure I 7. Process for the preparation of pure titanium dioxide having rutile crystalline structure which comprises hydrolytically precipitating non-peptized, easily filterable hydrous titanium oxide from an aqueous solution of a titanium tetrafluoride compound containing about 1% of a compound selected from the group consisting of the acids and alkali metal salts of the phosphate, citrate,

oxalate, tartrate, sulfate, arsenate and carbonate radicals, basedon weight of TiOz contained in the said solution, separating the said hydrous titanium oxide and calcining it to rutile crystalline structure.

8. Process for the preparation of pure-titanium I dioxide having rutile crystalline structure which comprises hydrolytically precipitating non-peptized, easily filterable hydrous titanium oxide from an aqueous solution of a titanium tetrafluoride compound containing a small amount of sodium sulfate, separating the said hydrous titastructure.

9. Process for the preparation of pure titanium dioxide having rutile crystalline structure which comprises hydrolytically precipitating non-peptized, easily filterable hydrous titanium'oxide from an aqueous solution of a complex titanium fluoride containing a small amount of a poly valent, negative, coagulating ion, separating the said hydrous titanium oxide and calcining it to rutile crystalline structure.

10. Process for the preparation of pure titanium dioxide having rutile crystalline structure which comprises hydrolytically precipitating nonpeptized, easily filterable hydrous titanium oxide from an aqueous solution of a complex titanium ammonium fluoride containing a small amount of.a compound selected from the group consisting of the acids and alkali metal salts of the phosphate, citrate, oxalate, tartrate, sulfate, arsenate and carbonate radicals, separating the 'said hydrous titanium oxide and calcining it to rutile. crystalline structure.

11. Process for the preparation of pure titanium dioxide having rutile crystalline structure nium oxide and calcining it to rutile crystalline said hydrous titanium oxide and calcining it to nlum ammonium fluoride containing a small rutile crystalline structure. amount of ammonlum'phosphate, separating the 12. Processjor the preparation of pure tlta: said hydrous tltanlumoxide and'calclning it to nlum dioxide having rutfle crystalline structure 'rutlle crystalline structure. 7

which canm'isea hydrolytically precipitating non- 1 I peptized, easily filter-able hydrous titanium ox- WALTER W. mmcnmm.

ide from an aqueous solution of a complex tita- ARTHUR W. HJZSON. 

